A Spirit of Competition
by Snows Of Yester-Year
Summary: There's nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition between friends, after all. Their parents can attest to that. Gaang kids.


I, uh. Apparently have a lot of feelings about the kids of the gaang. Who knew! I have no idea what Zuko's daughter's name is, I just made something up. This is self-indulgent and ridiculous, forgive me. I own nothing!

* * *

Twilight was cloaking the tiny island nestled in the middle of Yue Bay, the bright gold and pink streaks of the sunset fading from the sky and leaving room for the purples and blues to rush in like waves. The air was alive with the singing of birds and was perfumed with the still-blooming trees.

A shriek of laughter broke the settling dusk, and two pairs of feet scampered across the thick grass. In front was a girl with long, dark hair, dark skin, and bright blue eyes, clutching something to her chest and giggling mischievously. Behind her ran a younger girl, paler with black hair and scowling green eyes.

"Give it back, Kya!" she barked furiously, skidding when Kya changed direction suddenly and scampered up a hill. "I _mean _it!"

"Catch me first, Lin!" Kya taunted, yelping when a spike of earth shot up and hit her in the foot. "_Hey!"_

"Next time, I'm knocking you over!" Lin snapped, stomping her foot hard on the ground and glaring up at her cousin. "Now, for the last time, give – me – my – _belt!" _

Kya put her fists on her hips, belt dangling from one hand, and glared down at Lin with a haughty expression. "What's the matter, Lin?" she called down the hill. "Why can't you come get it yourself?"

"I _can _come get it myself!" Lin countered. "But if you'd just give it to me, I wouldn't have to kick your butt!"

"That's no fair!" Kya shouted, her voice echoing. "You've got earth all around you, but I haven't got any water!"

Lin sputtered furiously for a moment before stomping her foot again, the earth shaking slightly when she did so. "_You took my belt!_ It's ALREADY unfair!"

"What are you guys _doing_?"

Kya and Lin jumped and turned to see Youko rounding the hill, Tenzin tagging along after her with a mildly disapproving expression on his face. For such a little kid, he sure was good at the "I'm-disappointed-in-you" face that grown-ups were so fond of.

"Kya took my belt and won't give it back," Lin said, crossing her arms hard and scowling.

Youko paused, looking back and forth between the two girls for a moment before heaving an aggravated sigh, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Okay, let's just...calm down and –"

"No," Kya insisted stubbornly. "I'm _not _giving it back."

"Kya," Tenzin said solemnly, "Mommy said you shouldn't take things that don't belong to you."

She scowled. "Oh, yeah? Well, Uncle Sokka said that Mommy took a Waterbending scroll that didn't belong to _her!" _

Tenzin's eyes got big, his jaw dropping slightly. "Mommy wouldn't–!"

"Oh, _hush, _Tenzin!" She rounded on her younger brother with an agitated expression. "Shouldn't you be in bed by now?"

The young Airbender visibly wilted for a moment before straightening again. "I wanted to show Youko the flower Mommy helped me plant."

"She doesn't care," Lin deadpanned.

"Oh, quiet," Youko muttered. "It was a nice flower."

A twig snapped on the other side of the hill and they all jumped and swung to face the intruder, guilty expressions poised for when whichever adult it was started berating them for fighting, only to see it was –

"_There_ you are," Bumi said loudly, irritation leaking into his voice. "I thought we were gonna play a game of redemption after dinner. Why did you guys run off?"

The four stared at each other, shooting one another accusatory looks before Youko finally spoke.

"Tenzin wanted to show me the flower Auntie Katara helped him plant in the garden," she explained evenly. Tenzin nodded to back this up.

Bumi didn't bother to hide his eye-roll. "You're weird, Zin."

Tenzin turned slightly red in the face. "I'm not! Don't call me weird!"

"Weird!"

"Stop!"

"Weirdo!"

"_Stop it!"_

"Weirdo weirdy weird-pants!"

A blast of air shot over and knocked Bumi flat on his back. He hit the ground with a small grunt, scrambling upright and glaring at his kid brother. "Hey, watch it!"

Tenzin scowled at the older boy, crossing his arms hard over his chest and pouting. "Not weird," he muttered petulantly.

Bumi dusted himself off, muttering about Airbenders and stupid magic winds. "And where were _you_?" he shot at Lin.

"Well, _I_ was headed over to where we were gonna play," she said stiffly, "but Kya ran over and took my belt, and then ran off with it!"

Bumi quirked an eyebrow at his cousin before glancing over at his sister. "Really?"

"Because she _tripped _me!" Kya snapped, scowling at Lin.

"I did not!"

"Did so! I tripped over a rock that wasn't there!"

"How do _you _know it wasn't there?"

"Because I didn't _see _it, dumb-dumb!"

"Why didn't you just _say _she tripped you?" Youko interjected, bewildered.

"I...forgot!"

Lin stared blankly at her cousin for a moment before her mouth fell open. "Oh, you're _lying!"_

"AM NOT!"

"Are so!" she insisted. "Your heart's getting all fast and stuff, I can feel it with my Earthbending!"

Kya narrowed her eyes threateningly, holding the belt out tauntingly. "Put that Earthbending to good use, Lin, and come and get your belt!"

Lin paused for a moment before an angry look broke across her face. "You know what? Fine – _fine_! I _will_! And you'll be sorry when I'm done with you!"

"Wait!" Youko exclaimed, scampering forward to stand between the two scowling cousins. "Guys, don't–"

"Move, Youko!" Lin bit out. "I can't knock Kya into next week if you're in the way!"

"Lin, no, let's–"

"Knock _who _into next week?" Kya shouted. "The only one who's going to get knocked around is _you!"_

"Please, I–"

"Bring i–"

"ENOUGH!"

Two massive blasts of fire erupted from Youko's fists with an echoing bang, ricocheting off the ground and spiraling off into the evening air. The other kids were so shocked that they didn't even say anything, staring at Youko in wide-eyed silence as she stood on a bed of burned grass, panting with rage and glaring back and forth between Kya and Lin.

"Kids?"

They all spun around, a ripple of panic shooting through them. "Oh, no!"

Moments later, Katara rounded the corner of the building, giving them all a stern look.

"Is everything okay?" she asked slowly, sweeping her narrowed eyes from one guilty face to another. "We thought we heard an explosion."

There was a pause. One of the boys coughed loudly.

"Um!" Kya finally chirped up, earning a hard glance from her mother. "It's...I mean, everything's fine, Mom! We were just...goofing off, right, guys?"

Most of them were in the middle of confirming Kya's claim when Tenzin, frowning heavily, called out, "Kya and Lin were fighting – and Youko Firebended –"

Bumi shoved him, almost knocking him over. "Tattler!"

"Well they were!"

"So?" Lin said, whirling on him. "You Airbended at Bumi!"

"Do I have to put you all in time out?" Katara interjected loudly, frowning at them. A vehement wave of denials swept the group, and she sighed. "No more bending, okay, kids?"

Kya slumped. "Yes, ma'am."

She glanced around at them one last time, looking unconvinced. "Go have fun, now," she said, making her way back inside.

They were all very quiet for a full minute after she disappeared. It was Youko who broke the silence.

"Nice going, _Kya._"

"What?" Kya sputtered furiously. "_You're _the one who had to turn into a human torch!"

"Yeah, because you and Lin wouldn't quit _arguing!" _

"Oh, I didn't know it was our fault you had such an awful temper," Lin said acidly, shooting Youko a wicked glare.

Youko sighed, crossing her arms petulantly. "It doesn't matter," she grumbled. "Redemption's no fun if we can't bend."

Bumi rolled his eyes. "You're all such babies," he said. "Mom tells you that you can't bend and all of a sudden your night is ruined."

There was a pause before Lin erupted, "And Kya _still _has my stupid _belt!"_

"Oh, you're such a–"

"Hey!" Youko yelled over them both, holding up both hands in a placating gesture. "Listen, you two screaming at each other isn't going to make anything happen. It's just going to make the grown-ups madder."

"Well, what do _you _suggest?" Lin said, glaring past Youko at her cousin.

Youko looked from Lin to Kya and back to Lin before glancing over at where Tenzin and Bumi stood. A small, crafty smile stole across her face.

"Will they miss us if we go down to the cove?"

Tenzin's face fell. "Uh-oh," he said glumly.

"Not for a while," Kya said slowly, frowning at her brother. "Why do you ask?"

Youko didn't respond, running off in the direction of the cove's entrance and jerking her head for them to follow. "I'll explain when we get there – come on!"

The other kids stood in baffled silence for a moment before taking off after her. They raced across the island and down the steep cliff side, the smooth waters of the cove the island housed shining glassily beneath them. It stole some of the colors of the sunset that lingered in the sky, dressing its depths with warmer tones than it would normally have. The purple haze of twilight hung in the air all around them. They came to a rest on the beach, four wary sets of eyes swinging towards Youko.

"Okay," she said, clasping her hands together. "Lin, draw a line in the sand there."

Lin looked skeptical, but she Earthbended a line where Youko indicated.

"You stand on that side," she said to Lin, pointing to the far side of the line. "Bumi, Tenzin, you go over with Lin. Kya, stay over here."

"What are you doing, exactly?" Lin asked uncertainly as the brothers made their way across the line.

Youko grinned. "We're going to have a battle."

Kya and Bumi whooped loudly. Tenzin looked stricken. Lin looked like she was about to cross into enemy territory to punch Youko in the face herself.

"Are you kidding me?" she exclaimed. "Aunt Katara said no bending!"

Youko shrugged. "She can't hear us down here. Besides, you have to get your belt back _somehow, _don't you?"

"This isn't what I had in mind!"

"Oh, come on, Lin, don't be such a killjoy! It's perfect! We have all four elements and even teams and everything, two on two!"

Bumi frowned. "Um...actually, Youko, we have one extra person."

She stared blankly at him for a moment before letting out a short, barking laugh. "Oh, right – sorry, Bumi, I forgot to count you. No bending, you know?"

He sputtered furiously, clearly flustered. "_I can still fight!" _

"Fine, fine. Two...on two plus Bumi."

He stomped one foot childishly, fists clenched. "I'll make you eat those words, Youko!"

"How do we know who wins?" Lin asked loudly.

Youko paused thoughtfully, glancing over her shoulder at Kya before shooting the water behind the other team a thoughtful look. She locked eyes with Kya, giving the belt a meaningful look and nodding at a ledge of rock behind them before turning her attention back to her opponants.

"If you get us out of the way and get to the belt, you win," she said loudly. "But if _we _push all three of _you _into the water, then _we _win."

The other three glanced at each other uncertainly before Lin and Bumi nodded. Tenzin looked thoroughly disapproving.

"On three," Youko said loudly, taking a fighting stance. The others all followed suit.

"One...two..._three!" _

The air was suddenly alive with the elements. None of them were terribly skilled and they couldn't do too much damage, but they were still making a mess of things. Rock and water mixed to a thick mud, splattering all of them with it. Fire arced through the air, meeting blasts of wind with explosive force. The boomerang that Bumi was given by his uncle wove between them, knocking into Youko at one point. She stumbled but didn't fall over.

"I'll show you, Bumi!" she shouted, throwing another fire blast at them, but her aim was off and she hit Tenzin instead. Tenzin, who looked like he wanted nothing more than to be anywhere but there, made an air shield just in time, but the force of the blow was still enough to throw him backwards, and he landed in the water with a loud splash.

"All right!" Youko exclaimed, laughing. "One down, two t–"

The boomerang suddenly clocked the side of her head, sending her stumbling to the side until she fell to the ground with a _whump_. She sat, rubbing the spot where it hit her and scowling over at Bumi who was smirking smugly at her. He was so busy gloating that he didn't feel the earth ruble beneath him until it was too late, and Lin's attack had sent him flying backwards into the water.

It was just Lin and Kya on their feet now, and they were giving it their all – well, what all they could give in such a fight. They dodged and weaved, shooting out snakes of water and pillars of earth, trying and failing to knock each other down.

"Come on, Kya!" Youko yelled.

"Show her who's boss, Lin!"

"You can do it!"

Lin's brow was furrowed seriously as she threw her fist out, but Kya anticipated the move, dancing around the tiny outcropping Lin had made. Seeing this, Lin repeated the action, and Kya moved – and then Lin switched arms, pushing the earth the other way, and suddenly, Kya was moving _wrong. _

Kya stumbled over a low pillar of earth with an ear-splitting yelp, toppling to the ground in an undignified heap. Lin was running towards the ledge with the belt before Kya even hit the ground, stumbling to a halt and snatching it up.

"Ha!" she exclaimed, snapping it on and jumping up on the ledge. "I win, Kya! In your _face_!"

"What on _earth _is going on down here?"

There were a few shocked gasps as everyone turned to see Aang standing at the bottom of the pathway that led into the cove, bewildered brown eyes taking in his children and nieces caked in mud and panting and sweaty. His brow furrowed, and for a split second, they all thought they would be in a world of trouble.

However, a grin split his face. "Did you guys have a bending battle?"

"Yup!" Lin exclaimed triumphantly, putting her hands on her hips and smirking. "And I _won!" _

Aang laughed, bowing. "Then, I congratulate you, great champion. Your Earthbending skills will be legendary." He straightened, still smiling. "But even champions need to clean up."

She glanced down at herself, frowning lightly. "Oh...oh yeah. I guess I am a bit dirty"

He laughed again good-naturedly, shaking his head. "Come on, everyone," he said, gesturing the kids to gather around them as they started back up to the island. "Let's get you guys washed up so your parents don't kill me. You can have another bending battle tomorrow."

They followed him up the path, exhausted but also strangely thrilled at the adrenaline-filled fight...except, of course, Tenzin, who was still privately shaking in terror and silently vowing never to partake in such nonsense ever again.


End file.
